Brewers Tipped to Target Cubs’ $8M All-Star in a Free-Agent Move That Could Shift the NL Central .MH
Will the Brew Crew make any signings?
Given the discourse surrounding the Milwaukee Brewers these days, it’s easy to forget this team had the best record in Major League Baseball this year.
Milwaukee won a franchise-record 97 games, and because the Brewers have earned an unfortunate reputation, all anyone can talk about is whether they’ll trade Freddy Peralta. But for a moment, let’s instead focus on what potential additions this team can make to push for a World Series title.
Only one spot obviously needs an upgrade, and it’s shortstop. But unless the Brewers are the team that ends up signing Ha Seong Kim, who opted out of $16 million with the Atlanta Braves, it’s unlikely they’ll sign a free agent who represents an obvious upgrade over starter Joey Ortiz.
Willi Castro predicted to land on Brewers
Instead, the Brewers could perhaps hope for a bounceback from Ortiz while simultaneously landing a do-everything utility guy to spell him against tough right-handed pitchers.
On Tuesday, The Athletic’s Andy McCullough predicted that’s exactly what the Brewers would do. McCullough tabbed the Brewers to sign utility man Willi Castro, a former Minnesota Twins All-Star who faced Milwaukee in the playoffs as a member of the Chicago Cubs.
“Yes, it would be nice to upgrade at shortstop over Joey Ortiz, whose hitting took a plunge in 2025, but I don’t suspect the team will be absorbing Corey Seager’s salary any time soon,” wrote McCullough.
“Any significant upgrades to the roster would likely come through the return package if — and that remains a big ‘if’ — the front office decides to move starter Freddy Peralta. Even if the team stands pat, the future looks bright.”
Castro, 28, is one of those one-time All-Stars that most baseball fans will likely forget made an appearance at the Midsummer Classic. He had a 42 OPS+ in 34 games for the Cubs after arriving in a deadline trade, but in general, he provides close to league-average offense while playing everywhere on the diamond, which isn’t always sexy, but helps a team field its best lineup on most nights.
The Athletic’s Tim Britton projected a one-year, $8 million contract for Castro earlier this month, so unless there’s a team that’s incredibly bullish on his outlook, he’ll probably at least land in the Brewers’ price range.
